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(No Model.) 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. (1. ROOME.

ELECTRICAL BURGLAB- ALARM. No. 247,414. Patented Sept. 20,1881.

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INVENTOR PETERSv Phwrulhognphur. Wilhinglon. D C- (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. O. ROOME.

ELECTRICAL BURGLAR ALARM.

Patented Sept. 20, 1881 WiTNESSES N. PEIERs Phutwulha m her, Washington. D. r2.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY c. ROOME, OF JERSEY CITY, NEWJERSEY.

ELECTRICAL BU RGLAR-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,414, dated September 20, 1881.

Application filed August 23, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY 0. Roman, of J ersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and use-- ful Improvements in Electric Burglar-Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to those electric burglar-alarms wherein an electric circuit traverses buildings and other structures to be guarded, and connects them with a station or otlice where watchmen are kept.

The object of these improvements is to ena ble the watchmen at the station or office at any desired time to more effectively ascertain whether all is right in the electric circuit at the structures to be guarded and between the lat ter and the station or office.

The improvements consist in the combination, in an electric burglar-alarm, of a telephonic transmitter and a resistance coil or device in the electric circuit at the structure to of which is in the circuit at the station or office where watch is kept, and a telephonic receiver at said station or oflice connected to the secondary wire of the induction-coil, so that the resistance will not materially affect the electric circuit.

The improvements also consist in the combination, in an electric burglar-alarm, of atelephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, a telephonic receiver in the circuit at the station or office where watch is kept, a sounding-instrument at the structure to be guarded, and means whereby said sounding-instrument may be set in operation from the station or office to occasion at the structure to be guarded noises that will be transmitted to the station or office by the telephonic transmitter and receiver.

The improvements also consist in the combination, in an electric burglar-alarm, of atelephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded,-a sounding and signaling instrument also in the circuit at said structure, a telephonic receiver at the station or office where watch is kept, and means whereby the sounding-instrument may be set in operation from the station or office to give a signal at the station or office, and to occasion at the structure tobe guarded noises that will be transmitted to the station or office by the telephonic transmitter and receiver.

The improvements also consist in the combination, in an electric burglar-alarm, of a telephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, a train of wheels and means for driving them at said structure, a telephonic receiver at the station or office where watch is kept, and means whereby said train of wheels may be started from saidstation or office to occasion at the structure to be guarded a noise which will be transmitted by the telephonic transmitter and receiver to the station or oflice.

The improvements also consist in the-combination, in an electric burglar-alarm, ot' a telephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, atelephonic receiver in the circuit at the station or office where watch is kept, a signaling and soundin g instrument at the structure to be guarded, and means whereby a watchman at the station or office may effect the short-circuiting of the telephonic transmitter out of the circuit, and obtain signals at the station or ofiice from the signaling and sounding instrument,'and the telephonic transmitter is restored into the circuit between the signals, so that the noise pro duced by the running of the signaling and sounding instrument may be transmitted to the station or office.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an electric burglaralarm embodying my improvements; and Fig. 2 is a face view of a signaling and sounding instrument comprised in the same, its frame being partly broken away.

A designates a structure to be guarded, consisting, as here shown, of an electric covering for a safe.

B designates a telephonic transmitter mounted on the inside of the structure or covering A, and here shown as consistingof'a microphone composed of two buttons or plates of carbon and a bar or piece of the same material loosely supported between them. From one end of this telephonic transmitter a wire, 0, extends to the ground. From the other end of'the telephonic transmitter B a wire, F, extends to a resistancecoil, E, thence to a signaling and sounding instrument, T, which I will particularly describe hereinafter, both the resistance-coil and this instrument being here shown as mounted on the inside of the structure or covering A. From this instrument T the wire F extends around the structure or covering A. As here shown, it extends down along the adjacent side of the covering or structure, thence across the bottom and up the opposite side to a pair of contact-pieces, a and I), attached the one, a, to the covering or structure,and the other, b,to the door, and both continuing the electric circuit. From the contactpiece b the wire F extends downwurly close to theinner edge of the door,-nearly to the bot tom of the door, thence laterally nearly to the outer edge of the door, thence upward nearly to the upper edge of the door, thence laterally a short distance toward the inner edge of the door, thence downward nearly to the bottom edge of the door, thence laterally toward the inner edge of the door, thence upward nearly to the upper edge of the door, thence laterally nearly to the inner edge of the door, and thence downward to the upper hinge, c, of the door..

From the hinge c the wire F extends up the adjacent side of the covering or structure, partly across the top, and thence out of the same. Thus a wire-lined envelope or covering for a safe is formed. Leaving the structure the wire F passes to an instrument for indicating a change in the resistance in the circuit, here shown as consisting of a galvanometer, H, whence it extends to the battery I of the electric circuit, the primary wire of an inductioncoil, K, and thence to the ground, the secondary wire of the induction-coil being connected with a telephonic receiver, L.

In connection with the galvanomelerH is employed a local circuit, M, communicating with an electromagnetic hell or sounder, R, and a battery, S. It leads to a wire, N, connecting with the needle n of the galvanometer, and branch wires 0 and P, connecting with stops 0 19, between which the needle may vibrate. The galvanomcter-needle n is held by the battery I and resistance-coil E about midway between the stops 0 and p. The deflection of the needle either way by any alteration in the resistance of the electric circuit, so as to cause it to touch either of the stops 0 or p, closes the local circuit 0 P M through the battery S and bell R, and thus effects the sounding of an alarm.

Any breaking or cutting of the electric circuit at the structure or coveringA permits the needle a to gravitate to the stops p and close the local circuit 0 P M. Of course the induction-coil K, the telephonic receiver L, and bell or sounder R, as well as the galvanometer H, will be located in the office where watch is kept.

By means of the telephonic transmitter and receiver sounds occasioned by any attempt to effect an entrance to the structure A, or to cut or vary the resistance in the electric circuit there, will be transmitted to the station or ofiice, and will serve to apprise the watchman of what is going on.

I willnow turn again to the signaling and sounding instrument. The wire F, after passing around the structure or covering A, leads to a binding-screw,Q,on the base-board of the said instrument. This instrument consists, essentia-lly, of a train of gear-wheels, which may be made of metal, and are supported in ametal frame, which is shown in the drawings as partly broken away. They are driven by a convolute spring, which is combined with them through the agency of a ratchet-wheel and .pawls, so that it may be Wound without disturbing them, and they comprise an escapement-wheel and detent to cause them to run slowly. A fan might be used instead of this escapement.

The electric circuit extends by awire, T, to the wire of an electro-magnet, T From this electro-magnet the circuit extends through a wire, T to abinding-screw,T, and thence by the wire F to the resistan ce-coil E. From this resistancecoil it extends to the telephonic transmitter B. This is the normal circuit through the instrument T, and while the structure to which they are applied is being guarded a current of electricity is flowing through the instrument from the battery I.

The electro-magnet T is provided with an armature, T arrangedon one end of a lever, T which at the other end is impelled by a spring, T to obtrude itself in the way of a pin, 0, carried by a gear-wheel, T", in the train of wheels comprised in the instrument.

On the same shaft as the wheel T is what I term a short-circuiting wheel, T, which is made of metal and provided with a number of radial projections. WVhen this wheel rotates its projections come in contact with what I term a short-circuiting metallic springfinger, T, which is attached to a block of insulating material mounted on the frame of the instrument T. A wire, T leads from this short circuiting finger to a binding screw, T which has connected to it a ground-wire, T The binding-screw Q is connected to the metal frame of this instrument by a wire, T

The current produced by the battery I is insufficient to cause the electro-magnet T to attractits armature T. Hence,\vhile the electric circuit in the structure to be guarded is in its normal condition the instrument T remains in operative.

If the watchman at the station or oftice desires to ascertain whether the circuit is all right, he by means of a switch, X, cuts the battery I out of the circuit and throws amore powerful battery, W, into the circuit, and so increases the potential of the electric current passing through the circuit that the electrolnagnet T attracts its armature T Thereupon the lever T releases the pin e on the wheel T and the instrument T begins to run. The

battery W is only momentarily left in circuit; and the batteryI out of the circuit. Hence, as soon as the instrument starts, the electro-magnet releases its armature and the lever resumes its former position, so as to be ready to engage with the pin and stop the instrument again. The instrument runs only long enough for the short-eircuiting wheel 1 to make one rotation, and stops with the projections of this short-circuiting wheel out of contact with the short-circuiting finger T. When the projections of the short-circuiting wheel during its rotation make contact with the short-circuiting finger the electric current from the battery I passes through the frame of the instrument T to the short-circuiting wheel and finger, thence to the binding-screw T and thence to the ground-wire T The electro-magnet T and the resistance-coil E are thus short-circuited out of the electric circuit whenever any of the projections of the short-circuitin g wheel make contact with the short-circuiting finger, but are in the electric circuit at other times. The radial projections of the short-circuitingwheel are so grouped that when they make contact with the short-circuitin g finger they will cause a peculiar signal to be given to the watchman at the station or office.

As a number of structures will in practice he guarded from one station or office, it is advantageous that each signaling and sounding instrument should be adapted to give a distinct and definite signal, so that in case a burglar should learn the signal which one of said instruments was adapted to give, he would not thereby become apprised of the signals which the others were adapted to give.

Not only may the watchman, by means of my invention, obtain a signal from the structure to be guarded, but he may also, through the telephonic transmitter and receiver, ascertain whether the signaling-instrument is running.

The sounding and signaling instrument preferably has an escapement which will develop a noise by which it can be distinguished, so that if a mechanism should be substituted for it by a burglar the watchman would readily 'become aware that it wasnot the signal and sounding instrument. This gives additional protection, for it is quite possible that a burglar might ascertain the signal which is transmitted by a signaling-instrument, and then give the signal with a telegraphic key introduced into the circuit; but it is very improbable that he could procure by chance a-clock or other similar piece of mechanism the sound produced by the running of which would resemble that produced by the signaling and soundinginstrument havingthe peculiarly soundingescapement.

Moreover, the telephonic transmitter and receiver should indicate by the sounds they transmit whether the signals are produced by making and breaking the electric circuit, as

with a telegraphic key, or by merely changing the resistance as in'the above described signaling and sounding instrument.

The advantage of combining an inductioncoil with the telephonic receiver is that the resistance of the said receiveris then out of the circuit and a much less resistance introduced in lieu of it. This is advantageous,in that the less the resistance which is in the circuit at the station or office the less there need be in the circuit at the structure to be guarded. The burglar-alarm will be more accurate then, and can be operated with less battery-force. The induction-coil which I employ for this purpose differs from the induction-coils commonly used for telephonic purposes, in that'the primary wire is made of greater resistance, because of the great resistance in the line with which it is connected, while in induction-coils as ordinarily used for telephonic purposes the primary wire is made of as little resistance as possible.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric burglar-alarm, the combination of a telephonic transmitter and a resistance coil or device in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, an induction-coil the primary wire of which is in the electric circuit at the station or office where watch is kept, and a telephonic receiver at said station or ofiicc connected to the secondary wire of the induction-coil, so that its resistance will not affect said electric circuit, substantially as specified.

2. In an electric burglar-alarm, the combination of a telephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, a telephonic receiver in a circuit at the station or office where watch is kept, a sounding-instrument at the structure to be guarded, and means whereby said sounding-instrumentmay be set in operation from the station or office, substantially as specified.

3. In an electric burglar-alarm, the combination of a telephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the-structure to be guarded, a sounding-instrument also in the circuit at said structure, a telephonic receiver at the station or office where watch is kept, and means whereby the sounding-instrument may be set in operation from the station or office, substantially as specified.

4. In an electric burglar-alarm, the combination of a telephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, a train of wheels and means for driving them at said structure, a telephonic receiver at the station or office where watch is kept, and means whereby said train of wheels may be started from said station or office, substantially as specified.

5. In an electric burglar-alarm, the combination of a telephonic transmitter in the electric circuit at the structure to be guarded, a telephonic receiver in the circuit at the station or office where watch is kept, a signaling and sounding instrument at the structure to be i guarded, and whereby a watchman at the sta- 5 tion or office may effect the short-circuitin g of the telephonic transmitter out of the circuit and obtain signals at the station or office from the signaling and sounding instrument, and. the telephonic transmitter is restored into the cir- H. G. ROOME.

Witnesses:

T. J. KEANE, J AS. R. BOWEN. 

